How long do puppies sleep at night?

How long do puppies sleep at night?

Puppies use a lot of energy during the day to play and to grow, and that’s why they also need a lot of daytime naps!

What about at night, though? After all that napping during the day, how much sleep does he need at night?

How long your puppy sleeps at night depends on a few things. The most important is his age, but training also plays into this.

Of course, the more active your puppy is, the more sleep he is going to need!

How long do puppies sleep at night?

A puppy is quite different from an adult dog. Puppies are still developing their little minds and bodies, and it’s a lot of work to do that!

As your puppy gets older, you’ll see a lot of changes in him. His body will grow, his attention span will get longer, and he’ll start understanding all the things you’re doing to train him.

Eventually, you’ll have a well-behaved, affectionate, and loyal best friend.

But before you can get to that point, you have to deal with raising your puppy. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

One thing you’ll notice is that your puppy needs a lot of sleep. In fact, puppies need about 18 to 20 hours of sleep each 24-hour cycle as they’re growing up. 

They’re a lot like little kids. They need plenty of sleep to make sure that their bodies and minds are developing properly.

But you’ll also likely notice that puppies tend to nap intermittently. So what about nighttime? Can puppies sleep through the night?

The short answer is: some of them can. It mostly depends on how old they are, and how you’ve been training them. A good daily schedule helps.

If your puppy is a little older and you’ve been working on sleeping for longer periods of time, then he’ll probably be able to do it!

But if your puppy is a little bit younger, then you’ll likely find that he’s not sleeping all the way through the night. You might need to take him out of his crate every few hours to give him a bathroom break. He also might not be quite used to sleeping through the night yet, so some training will be required.

Before we get into how much puppies of different ages sleep at night, take a look at these related articles:

• Do Puppies Sleep A Lot During Growth Spurts?
• My Puppy Is Not Sleeping During the Day, What Should I Do?
• My Overtired Puppy Won’t Sleep—What Can I Do?

How long do puppies sleep at night at certain ages?

There are a lot of factors that can contribute to whether or not your puppy is able to sleep during the night. One of the big ones, of course, is how you’ve been training your puppy.

Your puppy won’t just know that he needs to sleep through the night. One way you can help your puppy is by crate training him. Here’s how to crate train a puppy at night.

But another big factor is your puppy’s age. Depending on how old he is, he might not be ready to sleep all the way through the night!

Younger puppies likely won’t sleep for long at night. They will need to go outside every few hours because their bladders are still small. With good training, your puppy can probably sleep through the night once he is around 5 months old.

Let’s take a closer look at how age can affect your puppy’s sleep.

How long do 8-week-old puppies sleep at night?

How much does an 8-week-old puppy sleep? The answer is: quite a bit.

8-week-old puppies are still very young. They’re a little more independent than they were when they were first born, and they’re more interested in exploring the world now. But they’re also not even close to being done with their development!

And all that developing takes a ton of energy. So your little guy is going to need a lot of sleep to keep up!

Remember, young puppies need about 18 to 20 hours of sleep every day. But it’s not likely that they’ll sleep that long all in one stretch.

During the night, you’ll probably need to wake up with your puppy a few times.

One big reason why is your puppy’s bladder. At this age, your puppy probably won’t be able to hold it longer than a few hours. 

There’s a handy rule of thumb for this: Most puppies can hold their bladders for a number of hours equal to their age in months plus one.

So an 8-week-old puppy can hold his for around 3 hours. That means that you should be getting up every 3 hours or so during the night to take him outside for a bathroom break!

How long can a 12-week-old puppy sleep at night?

One of the biggest reasons why puppies can’t sleep through the night is because of their bladders. It’s hard for your puppy to hold his bladder for long when he’s young. But as he gets older and you work on potty training, he’ll be much better at it.

By 12 weeks, your puppy should be able to hold his bladder for about 5 hours total. That means that you’ll probably need to get up at least once during the night to let your puppy outside.

That said, keep in mind that all puppies are different. The general rule for how long your puppy can hold his bladder is just that: general. 

Some puppies learn to hold their bladders and sleep through the night much earlier than others.

So if you’re one of the lucky ones that has a puppy that’s good at holding his bladder, then you might be able to get your puppy to sleep all the way through the night earlier!

How long should a 5-month old puppy sleep at night?

One of the hardest parts of raising a puppy is dealing with sleeplessness. Having to wake up every few hours to take your puppy out to relieve himself in the middle of the night isn’t much fun.

But as your puppy is now little bit older, he can sleep for longer, too. And the good news is that once he reaches this age, your puppy should be able to sleep through the night.

Most puppies are able to sleep through the night by the time they reach around 4 or 5 months old. As long as you’ve been keeping up with potty training and crate training, then you’ll most likely find that your puppy is sleeping through the night fine at this point.

How long do puppies sleep during the day?

Getting your puppy to sleep during the night is one thing. But it’s also important to make sure that your puppy is sleeping during the day!

When your puppy is young, he’ll need his 18 to 20 hours of daily sleep. As he gets older, he’ll start needing a little less. For example, a 6-month-old puppy should get around 16 to 18 hours of sleep.

However, you might find that these hours aren’t consecutive. It’s more likely that your puppy will sleep for a couple of hours at a time and then he’ll be up and moving again.

One way you can help to make sure your puppy is getting enough sleep is by following a schedule. Check out my free daily puppy schedule to help you keep track of your puppy’s naps.

Related puppy sleep questions

Where should my puppy sleep at night time?

When it comes to where your puppy should be sleeping at night, that tends to be a personal decision. Some people let their puppies sleep in their beds with them. Others prefer that their puppies sleep in a crate or in their playpens.

So ultimately, it really comes down to what you prefer, along with what your puppy can handle! Some puppies have a hard time having too much freedom and can’t settle down. If that sounds like your puppy, then sleeping in a crate is probably the best thing for him to do.

Not sure how to start crate training your puppy? Here’s how to crate train a dog easily in 13 steps. 

At what age can puppies sleep through the night?

If your puppy isn’t sleeping through the night, then you’re probably wondering when he’ll be able to. It’s not fun having to wake up in the middle of the night, after all!

Most puppies will be able to sleep through the night by the time they reach around 4 or 5 months of age. But you’ll need to keep in mind that all puppies are different.

Some puppies are able to sleep through the night much sooner than others. And don’t forget that your own training habits will affect this too!

How long do adult dogs sleep at night?

Once your dog is an adult, he’ll probably have a much easier time sleeping through the night. That’s assuming, of course, that you’ve been keeping up with training!

Most adult dogs will need around 12 to 14 hours of sleep every day. A big portion of that will probably be during the night, since that’ll be what he’s used to, thanks to you!

As long as you’re sticking to a consistent routine, your dog will know when it’s bedtime, and that it’s now time to sleep until you’re up too!

Conclusion

Raising a puppy is a really rewarding experience. There’s no doubt about that! Watching your little puppy slowly grow into a well-trained and well-behaved adult dog is like nothing else.

But one of the challenges of having a younger puppy in the meantime is not sleeping through the night. The good news is that with time and patience, your puppy will eventually learn to sleep through the night.

So keep up with your training and know that you’ll be able to get a full good night’s sleep again soon enough!